Pearson Lakes Art Center adds Britney Hansen to staff

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

The Pearson Lakes Art Center welcomes its newest staff member, Britney Hansen, as the Visual Arts Director. Britney began working at PLAC March 17 and will be organizing and installing exhibits in the galleries, working with the permanent art collection and coordinating the annual Art in the Park event.

A native of Watertown, South Dakota, Hansen graduated from Okoboji High School in 2008. She attended the University of Minnesota and earned a bachelor of arts degree in art and global studies in 2014. Working in mixed-media, Hansen has participated as an artist in the PLAC's Art in the Park three times and, as a high school student, participated in the Dickinson County All School Show.

"Britney brings an artist's background, familiarity of the Lakes area, as well as a fresh perspective to the position, said PLAC Executive Director Tim Hoheisel. "I am impressed with her diverse background and experience. She is a great fit for the job and the organization."

Hansen most recently worked at Bedlam Theater in St. Paul before moving back to Okoboji. She was also a free arts mentor in the Twin Cities, working with orphanages and under-served audiences. Her artistic pursuits include past collaborations for Northern Spark, a 24-hour art festival, St. Paul Art Crawl, 48-hour Minneapolis Film Festival, as well as co-teaching in the experimental media arts department at the University of Minnesota.

"Shelagh Gamble and the Okoboji High School art department first turned me on to new ways of experiencing the art world," Hansen said. "During my senior year, Shelagh taught a performance art course where I created my first multi-media installation piece using sound and video. The piece won "Best in Show" in the Dickinson County All School Show at the Pearson Lakes Art Center in 2008. That experience empowered me as a young person and influenced my future path as an artist. I am extremely grateful to once again be a part of this magical place."

One of Britney's first projects is curating an exhibition of art from the PLAC collection. It will involve 50 works of art and is being displayed in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Pearson Lakes Art Center. The exhibition, entitled "50 works for 50 Years," will be on display from April 16 until May 30.